Wood expansion issues with table??

[Roger Smith]

I've got my wood all cut for a table I'm building for an outdoor kitchen.  The top will be made of five 1x6 poplar boards and the legs are 2x2 poplar.  The remainder of the frame is 1x2 poplar.  The construction is much like building a face frame, but the frame consists of two frames, which will then be connected.

 

I'm concerned about dealing with expansion & contraction of the wood.  My original plans were to use the Kreg jigs to connect the base and the top, but one plan I've seen called for connecting the top to the base with z-shaped connectors to deal with expansion.

 

Should I follow through on my original plan or is there enough reason to worry that I should alter the connection of the table top to the base?  I am in north Georgia so I'm not dealing with extreme cold, but it can get hot!

 

Thanks for any suggestions!!

 

Roger

[Al Barale]

Roger I would definitely allow for wood movement, the amount of movement will vary but you will still have some movement that you need to deal with otherwise you end up with some sort of failure with your table.

[justin waldron]

It's not so much dealing with hot and cold as it is with humidity.  Remember that the most movement will be across the grain and that's where you need to allow for expansion.

[mo khan]

Roger if you do decide to connect the top to the rails with pocket screws, leave the screws a little loose to allow for expansion. It should be fine.